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A vice president of the N.R.A. wrote a letter stating that Donald J. Trump no longer trusts the organization. The letter emphasized the need for the N.R.A. to regain trust with Trump and his closest advisors.
Written by Danny Hakim
A high-ranking official at the National Rifle Association stated that President-elect Donald J. Trump no longer has confidence in the organization. The official suggested in a letter to other board members that the N.R.A. should regroup in order to support the Republican Party’s advantage in Congress during the 2026 midterm elections.
The group’s first vice president, Bill Bachenberg, who supports Trump strongly, informed other board members that Trump was unhappy during this year’s election because the NRA had not promised to do more to assist him in winning. Bachenberg also mentioned that Trump was surprised to learn at the group’s annual conference in May that the NRA was paying millions of dollars annually to a lawyer, William A. Brewer III, who has historically donated more to Democrats.
Last week, Mr. Bachenberg wrote in a letter that President Trump and his closest advisors no longer believe in the N.R.A. This letter was also signed by Mark Vaughan, the second vice president of the N.R.A. Mr. Bachenberg stated that he frequently communicates with them and there is a lot of effort needed to regain their trust, as well as the trust of members and donors.
When asked for a comment, Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition team, gave a general response. She stated that President Trump supports the idea that all Americans have a natural right to defend themselves and their loved ones, and he will support those who follow the law and own guns.
The recent letter shows that the N.R.A. has lost some of its political power. It used to be a strong lobbying group in Washington, but has been struggling due to scandals and accusations of corruption. There are internal conflicts within the organization, with some members supporting Wayne LaPierre, the former CEO, and others, like Mr. Bachenberg, wanting to move away from LaPierre’s controversial reputation.
The new chief executive of the N.R.A., Doug Hamlin, mentioned in a statement that due to the organization spending a lot of money to protect itself from a legal case filed by Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, they need to focus their efforts in the 2024 election.
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